Enlarge ImageRequest to buy this photoFRED SQUILLANTE | DISPATCHNo reservation for Mother’s Day? With a last-minute strategy, Mom is easily treated to a dinner of, say, salmon with rice pilaf and asparagus.

If you wake up on Sunday and realize only then that it’s Mother’s Day, don’t panic.

We have you covered.

Here are three ways that Mother’s Day scofflaws can still keep Mom out of the kitchen on her
special day.

Restaurant dining

Mother’s Day is the biggest day of the year for the restaurant industry.

Securing a table without a reservation will be impossible, right?

Not necessarily.

You might, however, need to compromise on your dining time and table location.

The staff at the historic Shaw’s Restaurant & Inn in Lancaster will serve 500 people on
Mother’s Day — all of whom want to dine between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to Susie Cork,
general manager.

Large groups with children and grandmas in tow tend to want to eat early, Cork said.

Diners who show up at noon without a reservation will have to wait — and might not get a table
for several hours. But the restaurant will remain open until 5:30 p.m.

To avoid a long wait, Cork said, diners without reservations who arrive after 3:30 or 4 p.m.
will have a good chance of being seated immediately.

At Spagio in Grandview Heights, brunch and early dining are also preferred by Mother’s Day
patrons, said Nicole Dinsmoor, controller.

Her advice for those without reservations: “Think outside the box timewise as to when you want
to eat. Eat in the later afternoon or early evening.”

For those who have no reservation but still want to eat early, Cork said, one option at Shaw’s
is to sit at the bar.

Although the bar area lacks the charm of the main dining room, the menu and food are the same,
she said.

Spagio, Dinsmoor said, doesn’t take reservations for its bar or patio (which is now open), so
even those without reservations can find seating there on a first-come, first-served basis.

Carryout

Even the fanciest restaurants typically offer carryout for anything on their menus.

So you can treat Mom to dinner from her favorite restaurant without compelling her to leave the
comforts of home.

The option, Dinsmoor said, is popular at Spagio with customers whose mothers are older and no
longer want to deal with a crowd. They might still enjoy the tradition of dining on the food of a
favorite restaurant but don’t have to visit the restaurant to do it.

Just call 30 to 40 minutes before you want to pick up, she said.

Be warned, however: Not all restaurants offer carryout on the holiday, because their kitchens
are so busy with dine-in guests.

Shaw’s, Cork said, is among those that don’t.

Market pickup

When all else fails, a grocery store or gourmet market can provide salvation.

Enough prepared foods or oven-ready dishes are available to give Mom a nice meal even when no
one else knows how to cook, said Jennifer Williams, owner of Weiland’s Market in the Clintonville
neighborhood.

“Just work your way through the menu,” she said.

Start with cheese, fruit and crackers for a nice appetizer plate, she said. Then select a
prepared main dish, such as grilled salmon or stuffed chicken breast. Grocery stores also have
plenty of options for dessert as well as craft beer, wine and even flowers to complement the
meal.

Because it’s Mother’s Day, consider buying a few special touches that Mom wouldn’t typically
splurge on — herbed butter with fancy dinner rolls or a gourmet dessert.

“We have a lot of dads who come in,” Williams said.

Some know what they want, such as marinated chicken or steaks that are ready for the grill.

Others are less certain.

“There’s a lot of last-minute people who say, ‘What should I do?’ ” Williams said.

Her advice is to make the meal as fancy as Mom would enjoy.

Would she prefer mushroom risotto and grilled asparagus served at home on fine china or potato
salad and baked beans at a picnic in the park?